Telecaster Hot Rails Bridge

[Myaccount876]

I put a Telecaster hot rails in the bridge a few months ago, and it is being way too dark and muddy for me. I tried lowering the bass side and raising the treble side, but that doesn't do much. My amp is a Kustom Quad 200 Head (a good solid-state amp actually) into a B-52 AT412 cabinet and I am using 500K pots. My settings are usually Bass: 4, Middle: 7.5, Treble: 10, and it is still too muddy and doesn't have a bright enough tele sound.

I have done the wiring correctly, checked it many times, but it also doesn't get rid of any 60 cycle hum, and gets microphonics. I know I can wax pot it, but that won't get rid of the hum. I've tried shielding all the electronics with aluminum foil, but still nothing.

If this also helps, the wiring scheme is a Tele hot rails, stock Fender neck pup, coil split push/pull on the volume pot, control bypass push/pull on the tone knob, and a 4-way switch. It seems everything is going wrong with this pup, and I really want to like it, but I'm about to give up on it.

[Richard Irons]

If you're still getting hum then something is definitely wrong. Could you please post the wiring diagram and some photos of the wiring?

[uOpt]

Just get something different. No reason fretting about it.

You also seem to have a disconnected ground/shield but I think the dark sound is for real.

[Myaccount876]

I'll post pictures of the actual wiring job later today, but here is the wiring diagram for now.



I would like to try something different, but money is the reason why I haven't replaced it. I have looked at GFS Neovin Hard Vintage telecaster pups, but don't have money for them yet. Also, do the hot rails wax potted? Or should I dip them in paraffin wax?

[Evil_Pun]

It kind of looks like you have your green and bare going to the ground. Your red going to a push pull that in one position doesn't go anywhere and the other goes to the ground. Your black to a push pull that sends the signal to the switch in one position and sends the output direct to the output jack in the other. I don't know where your white wire is but I am just going to guess that it isn't with the Red wire on the push pull pot. If that is the case then all you need to do is re do the volume push pull wiring.

[Myaccount876]

Just checked, and the white wire goes to ground, which doesn't sound right. Should the white go with the red and problem solved?

[Evil_Pun]

Just checked, and the white wire goes to ground, which doesn't sound right. Should the white go with the red and problem solved?

yeah it should help because as it is you're only running the one coil.

[gibson175]

Go all the way back to standard wiring, and once its working, start adding your coil taps etc after that.

[Myaccount876]

Ok, tried that and there is no noise in posistion 2 or 3, but still noise in posistion 1 and 4.

Pics:

Grounds


Red and White now connected


EDIT: There is also NO noise/hum when in position 2 with the volume pot pulled up, and I DO get signal from both pups like it is supposed to. Also, there is less hum when I touch any metal on the guitar.

[Myaccount876]

Okay, everything is pretty much set now. There is no more hum, and to counter the darkness of the pickup, I put on new D'Addario strings strings (12-52, wound G) and it is pretty much solved now.